The Boeing Company

Timothy W Purcell

Douglas Wilson

Stephen A Walls

John G Barnes

Patrick J Mulvaney

Todd W Schulze

Dean A Hawkinson

Theodore N Rydell

Lennard T Baron

There is provided a center fuel tank assembly for an aircraft. The assembly includes a center fuel tank disposed in a central part of the aircraft. The assembly further includes one or more fuel barrier members partitioning the center fuel tank into two or more separate volume sections comprising two or more separate sub-tanks arranged in a fore-to-aft alignment to form a partitioned center fuel tank. The assembly further includes a fuel flow control assembly coupled to each of the two or more separate sub-tanks, each fuel flow control assembly operating independently. A sequential fuel burn of fuel in the two or more separate sub-tanks is made in a fore-to-aft sequence while the aircraft is in flight, to assist in shifting aftward a center of gravity (CG) of the aircraft, to reduce aircraft drag.

Center fuel tank assembly with partitioned center fuel tank for an aircraft and methods of sequencing fuel for the same

Illustrative computer-executable methods, systems, and computer software program products predict cruise orientation of an as-built airplane. In illustrative embodiments, nominal orientation of an as-built airplane is input. Deviation from the nominal orientation of the as-built airplane is automatically computed, and the computed deviation from the nominal orientation of the as-built airplane is applied to the nominal orientation of the as-built airplane.

System, method, and computer program product for predicting cruise orientation of an as-built airplane

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Edmonds, WA, United States of America

Timothy W Purcell